Telangana bill gets RS nod

February 21, 2014 11:15 am

Agencies, New Delhi
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said Central assistance and Special Category Status will be extended to the successor state of Andhra Pradesh comprising 13 districts, including the four districts of Rayalaseema and the three districts of north coastal Andhra for five years to put the finances on a ‘firmer footing’.

Intervening in the Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2014, Dr Singh said that he heard carefully the views expressed by the Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley and all other members including the MPs from Andhra Pradesh.

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had mentioned the steps taken by the Government and its willingness take to address the concerns of all regions of the state, particularly that of Seemandhra.

The Bill stipulates that the Centre shall take appropriate fiscal measures, including offer of tax incentives to the successor states in order to promote industrialisation and economic growth in both the states. These incentives will be along the lines extended to some other states.
The Bill, the Prime Minister said, provided for a special development package for the backward regions of the successor state of Andhra Pradesh, in particular for the districts of Rayalaseema and North Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

This development package will be on the lines of the K-B-K (Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi) Special Plan in Odisha and the Bundelkhand special package in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
“The Centre will execute the Polavaram project—let there be no doubt about it,” he asserted.